by Kate Hardy
And from there he led her out into the garden. There was a huge stone terrace with a table and chairs, and massive pots containing bay trees and box hedges clipped into massive globes. Next to it was an English country garden full of colourful shrubs and late spring bulbs; beyond that lay a formal Italian garden complete with more neatly clipped topiary, marble statues and a fountain with stone dolphins.
‘That’s stunning,’ she said.
He looked pleased. ‘I love it out here.’
‘And the Heath’s just over there?’
‘Behind the cypress trees,’ he said.
‘It’s lovely, Luc.’ And surprisingly homely, given the sheer scale of the place. She should’ve felt intimidated; she couldn’t even begin to imagine how much the mortgage would be on a property like this. And yet the place was welcoming and full of warmth.
‘I’m not going to rush you, but have a think about whether you could live here for a few months,’ he said.
‘I will,’ she promised.
‘Good. Come and have dinner,’ he said, catching her fingers between his.
His speciality turned out to be macaroni cheese and greens, which he served with a heritage tomato salad and ciabatta bread.
‘I’m impressed,’ she said after her first taste. It was creamy without being sickly, and the cheese had a nice sharp bite to it. ‘Tell me you made the bread as well.’
He wrinkled his nose. ‘I’m not going to lie. That was Maria. But I did make the macaroni. Admittedly using dried pasta, but the sauce isn’t from a jar.’
She smiled. ‘Simon was a terrible cook. I always used to tease him that he could burn water. He could design the most gorgeous buildings, and if he did a quick scribbled sketch it looked like a flawless piece of art. But he always got too distracted to follow a recipe. The deal was that I cooked and he washed up.’
‘Sounds fair, as long as you like cooking.’
‘I do—it relaxes me,’ she said.
‘I have to admit I cheated and bought chocolate ganache pots for pudding,’ he said.
‘Considering how many hours you spent in Theatre today, you could’ve ordered in a takeaway or bought a meal from the supermarket and that would’ve been fine,’ she said.
‘No. I promised you I’d cook for you, and I keep my word,’ he said.
‘It’s appreciated,’ she said.
After dinner, they headed for the music room.
‘So do you play the piano or anything?’ he asked.
‘No. Susie, Mum and I will sing our heads off to the radio or if we’re watching a musical together. But none of us ever tried playing a musical instrument—well, except the recorder and the triangle at infant school, but that doesn’t count.’
Luc sat down at the piano and patted the wide bench next to him. ‘Give it a go. Let’s try something.’
When she sat down, he lifted the lid and played four notes. ‘Can you do that? Start at middle C,’ he said, and pointed to the key in front of the keyhole.
Dubiously, she did so. Then she looked at him. ‘I recognise that.’
‘You said you were a Tom Hanks fan, so I hope you would.’ He grinned. ‘You’re going to play that half and I’ll do the melody. You repeat it four times—down two keys, down two keys, up one key, then back to the beginning.’
She did a couple of practice runs, getting it horribly wrong, but he got her to persevere. And then, when she was more confident, he joined in with the melody of ‘Heart and Soul’.
‘See? You can play,’ he said.
‘Barely. Play me something,’ she urged.
He played a Mozart sonata she recognised, and some Bach. Then he looked at her. ‘Eighties pop and nineties indie. I’ll play, but you have to sing. Deal?’
‘Deal.’
To her surprise, he played ‘Come on Eileen’.
She laughed. ‘That always gets Mum up on the dance floor.’ She sang along with him, realising just how good his voice was.
‘Your turn to choose,’ he said.
‘Eighties pop. So it’s got to be Rick Astley or Wham!’ she said with a grin.
‘As you wish.’
She looked at him, wondering if he was teasing her with a reference to one of her favourite movies, but his face was deadpan. Maybe that was because he was a prince and had been taught to mask everything. She wasn’t going to overthink it.
He played ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’, followed by ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go’. Between them, they sang nearly a dozen hits from the eighties and nineties, with Luc hamming it up and making Kelly laugh until her stomach ached.
He finished with Oasis’s ‘Wonderwall’, and she let him sing it solo. When he played the last note, he turned to her. His eyes were dark and looked huge. And then he leaned forward and brushed his mouth lightly against hers. Not demanding, just gentle and so sweet that it made her heart feel as if someone had just squeezed it. At the same time, her mouth was tingling where his lips had touched her skin.
He’d said he would give her time and not rush her into a decision. And she knew he meant it, because he looked as shocked as she felt. Clearly this had been an impulse.
She could back away. Or she could kiss him back. And right at that moment she really wanted to kiss him. Would it be so bad if she gave in to the urge? She rested her palm against his cheek. ‘Luc,’ she said, and her voice sounded strangely rusty to her own ears.
He twisted his head so he could drop a kiss into her palm, and her stomach swooped.
It was the first time she’d wanted to kiss a man since Simon’s death. The first time she’d wanted a man to kiss her. And this was a man who’d asked her to marry him in name only.
This shouldn’t be happening.
As if her doubts showed on her face, he said softly, ‘It’s getting late. I’ll drive you home.’
‘Are you allowed?’
‘Gino will drive, then. But I’ll see you home.’
‘Thank you.’ She let her hand drop back into her lap. ‘And for this evening. It’s been fun.’
‘I can’t remember when I last enjoyed myself so much,’ he said. ‘You’re good company, Kelly.’
‘Even though I’m terrible at playing the piano?’
‘Your singing makes up for it,’ he said with a smile. ‘So. Tomorrow’s whirlwind date. How about the cinema? You pick the film, and I’ll arrange tickets.’
‘Even if it’s a soppy rom-com instead of an action movie?’ she tested.
‘OK. Theatre, then. Let’s do a musical.’
‘You’re on. I’ll organise tickets.’
‘Actually, Gino will need to organise tickets.’ He grimaced slightly.
Of course. His security detail would need to vet everything. ‘OK. I don’t mind what we see. Any music is a treat. But I’ll pay for the tickets,’ she said.
‘I’ll pay for the tickets,’ he corrected. ‘But you can buy me dinner, if it makes you feel better.’
‘It does.’
This time, when Gino drove them home, Luc held Kelly’s hand all the way. Again, he waited until she was indoors before they drove off. And Kelly felt as if the dried-up edges of her life were starting to soften again. Sitting at the piano with him that evening, singing and laughing together... She’d felt happier than she had in a long, long time.
And for a second she could almost feel Simon’s arms round her, giving her a hug. Hear him whisper, ‘Be happy.’
She shook herself. How fanciful. She didn’t believe in ghosts.
Besides, Luc wasn’t the one to make her love again. This was a temporary favour to buy time for both of them, and she really mustn’t get carried away and forget it.
CHAPTER SIX
ON THURSDAY NIGHT, Luc took Kelly for dinner at a small Italian restaurant after work.
‘As you didn’t call me, I�
��m assuming your ICD went well?’ he asked.
‘Very. How was your teaching day?’ she asked.
‘Good. Oh, and I have some news for you. Obviously I can’t discuss confidential medical information, but you might want to check in with Jake and Summer and ask them if they have some news for you.’
Her eyes widened. ‘Are you telling me they’re on the trial?’
‘As I said, I can’t discuss confidential medical information,’ he repeated. ‘But Jake isn’t under the same constraints as I am. He can tell you all the details that I can’t.’
‘Thank you. You have no idea how much this means.’
‘The judgement was made purely on a clinical basis,’ he said. ‘As a surgeon, I have to be impartial and keep emotions out of it.’
‘I know. But you could’ve refused even to consider them. And I feel a lot better knowing that they’re both going to get more check-ups than usual.’
‘With proper treatment and follow-up, most patients with HCM live a normal life,’ he reminded her gently. ‘I’m sorry that Simon was unlucky.’
‘Yes.’ She blew out a breath. ‘I’m not going mopey on you.’
‘I know, but that news was bound to make you feel emotional. I probably should’ve handled it better,’ he admitted.
‘You’re a good man, Luc,’ she said, and reached across the table to squeeze his hand.
He was going to have to be careful. Their relationship was a total fake. He really couldn’t allow himself to react to her touch like this. Growing up as a prince, he’d learned to keep his feelings private and wear a public mask of smiles. Whatever was happening in your private life, you just got on with your duty. This was the same thing. If Kelly agreed to it—and he really hoped she would—there would be a time limit. After that, they’d have a quiet divorce and they’d be strictly friends and colleagues. Letting himself fall in love with her wasn’t part of the deal.
‘Les Mis!’ she said as they reached the theatre. ‘This is always a treat.’ She beamed at him. ‘Thank you so much, Luc. Though I hope you brought tissues. I always cry. Especially at “On My Own” and “I Dreamed a Dream”.’
‘You’ve seen it more than once, then?’
‘Susie and Ange love musicals as much as I do. So does Mum, so I’ve seen it with all three of them—separately and together. And I organised a team night out to see it, about five years ago.’
He winced. ‘Sorry. I should’ve guessed that you’d already seen it, or at least checked with you first.’
‘I would’ve still said yes, because I absolutely love this show,’ she said, and reached up to kiss his cheek.
How easy it would be to turn and face her properly, and to change that kiss on the cheek into something more sensual.
Luc kept himself firmly in check, and ushered her into the theatre.
‘We’ve got a box?’ she asked, looking surprised when he led her up the stairs.
He shrugged. ‘It keeps Gino happy.’
‘Got it.’ She squeezed his hand. ‘We have amazing legroom and a fantastic view—we’re looking down so we can see the patterns of the choreography as well.’
Typical Kelly, looking on the bright side instead of being disappointed that she wasn’t among the crowd like everyone else. He appreciated that.
As she’d predicted, Kelly cried during the sad songs, and he had to borrow a handkerchief from Gino to help her mop them up. And this time, after Gino had driven them back to her place, Luc accepted her offer to come in for coffee. Gino, too, accepted, but insisted on sitting at the kitchen table rather than with them in the living room.
‘It feels rude, leaving you out here on your own, Gino. You’re my guest,’ Kelly said.
‘I’m working,’ Gino said gently. ‘But thank you for looking after me so well.’ He gestured to the tin she’d brought out of the cupboard. ‘I love cannoli wafers. And your coffee’s good.’ He patted her arm. ‘Go and chat to Luc, bella. You both know where I am if you need me.’
Luc followed Kelly into the living room. The walls were painted a bright sunny yellow; there was a bookcase stuffed with a mix of medical textbooks and novels, a comfortable sofa with a coffee table next to it and a small television. There were a lot of framed photographs on the mantelpiece. ‘May I?’ he asked, gesturing to them.
‘Of course.’ She came to stand beside him and talked him through them. ‘That’s my sister Susie, on her wedding day to Nick, both of them with the twins just before last Christmas because they always do a family portrait, Mum and Dad with me on my graduation day, and Simon and me on our wedding day.’
They looked so happy together. Luc’s heart ached for her. He’d felt bad enough when Rachel had broken off their relationship but they hadn’t even got to the engagement stage. How much worse it must have been for Kelly to marry the love of her life and then lose him before they could start their longed-for family—and it was an extra twist of the knife that Simon had died from an undiagnosed cardiac condition, when Kelly was a cardiologist.
It was clear to him that she hadn’t moved on from loving Simon. That she might never be ready to move on. Which meant he felt a lot less guilty about asking her to help him; she wasn’t going to be taking a risk with her heart because it still belonged to Simon. No way was she going to fall for him and get hurt.
‘They’re lovely photos,’ he said. ‘Who’s this with you?’
‘Angela—my best friend. We met on the first day of sixth form. That’s us at our prom.’ She smiled. ‘We look so young there.’
‘And beautiful.’
‘I wasn’t fishing,’ she said.
‘I know.’ The words had slipped out before he could stop them. He really needed to get a grip. ‘What would you like to do tomorrow?’
‘I’m working, and I think you might be co-opted onto the team pub quiz,’ she said. ‘But I was thinking—on Saturday, my parents are having a barbecue.’ She looked at him. ‘And I was wondering if you’d like to meet my family.’
He went very still. Did that mean she was going to agree to help him? Or was this kind of the last test—if her family liked him, then she’d agree to the marriage of convenience?
‘I’d like that,’ he said carefully.
‘Good.’ She smiled. ‘My family’s nice, Luc. They’ll ask you a gazillion questions, but it’ll be relatively easy to deflect them if we keep the story as close to the truth as possible. We met just over a month ago when Sanjay asked me to show you round on your first day, and we liked each other. We’ve been on a couple of dates.’
He sucked in a breath. ‘So, the whirlwind courtship?’
‘Yes. I’ll help you,’ she said.
‘Thank you. I know it’s a big ask.’
‘I still have my doubts,’ she admitted. ‘But you’re helping me. I’m not quite as much of a workaholic as I was even a month ago, and the new procedures you’ve brought into the department have reinvigorated my love of medicine—I’m doing my job because I love it, not because I’m scared of losing someone. So I want to help you, too. And that includes your new clinic. It’s the fresh start I think I need.’
‘That’s fantastic news. Thank you. I really appreciate it.’ He paused. ‘So what can I bring to the barbecue?’
‘Just yourself.’
He shook his head. ‘That’s not how I was brought up. Wine, flowers, chocolates?’
‘Dad’s just been diagnosed as diabetic, so not chocolate,’ she said. ‘Flowers and wine would be very nice. Not too—’ She grimaced and cut off the words. ‘Sorry. That was about to sound really ungrateful and I don’t mean it that way.’
‘Not too showy-offy,’ he guessed. ‘Noted. And you weren’t ungrateful.’
‘Just... My family’s very ordinary.’
‘Actually,’ he said, ‘behind the image, so’s mine. You’d get on well with my sisters. My parent
s would like you, too.’
Once he’d finished his coffee, he turned to her. ‘I’d better get going.’
‘Thank you again for this evening, Luc. I really enjoyed it.’
‘Me, too,’ he said. He leaned forward and kissed her very lightly on the lips. ‘Good night.’
‘Good night.’
Her pupils looked huge, and he wondered whether she was feeling that same unexpected spark as he was. But he wasn’t going to make things difficult by asking.
He was still thinking about it when Gino drove him home.
‘All right, boss?’ Gino asked. He’d been with Luc for ten years, long enough to know him well and comfortable enough in his position to ask awkward questions.
‘Yes,’ Luc fibbed.
‘I like her,’ Gino said.
‘She’s a good colleague. A friend,’ Luc said.
‘You don’t look at each other as if you’re just friends,’ Gino pointed out.
That was a good thing. It meant they’d be able to convince her family at the weekend and he’d uphold his half of the deal. But on the other hand it was a bad thing. It wasn’t supposed to be more than friendship, and he couldn’t afford to let things get out of hand. The last thing he wanted was for Kelly to get hurt. ‘Maybe,’ Luc said casually.
Thankfully Gino didn’t push it any further. And everything between himself and Kelly felt totally as usual at work the next day.
On Saturday, it was raining.
Luc rang Kelly. ‘Given the weather, do I assume the barbecue is cancelled?’
‘Absolutely not. Dad’s been known to sit in pouring rain, holding a massive golf umbrella over himself and the barbecue—on more than one occasion. If it was snowing in the middle of June, he’d still insist on having a barbecue.’ She laughed. ‘The twins will be there. I hope you don’t mind children.’
‘I like children just fine,’ he said. ‘I’m an uncle to two, remember. Which means I have an amazing line of bad jokes.’
